Radiator valve



Jan. 17, I928.

J. c. HAMMEIFQ ET AL RADIATOR VALVE Filed May 16, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTORS BY PM h -Vo K ATTORNEYS.

Jail. R1928. M 1x556137 1- I J. C. HAMMYER ET AL RADIATOR VALVE FiledMay 16, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTO'RSQ M F vmw Patented Jan. 17,1928.

UNITED STATES PATENTIOFFICE.

JOSEPH C. HAMMER AND PAUL F. VOKAL, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT;

nanmron VALVE.

Application filed May 16,

Our invention relates to improvements in radiator valves of the formthat is used with steam radiators for controlling the vent opening topermit of the escape of air and to prevent the escape of the water ofcon-' densation and involving the use of a needlevalve in combinationwith an expansibleele- 'ment for the one result and in combination witha float for; eliecting the other, and the object of our improvement isto produce a radiator valve in which the expansible ele' ment and. thefloat are virtually combineu in a single structure, and which structureis provided with enclosing walls of relatively 1 thin material, wherebya sensitive device produced that operates substantially instantaneouslyresponsive to changes in temperature, and, furthermore, which is provided with reinforcing means in the form of a spring for sustaining thewalls under operative conditions and preventing collapse thereof.

In the accompanying drawing Figure l is a side elevation of our improved radiator valve.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale on the line 33 of Fig.2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4t of Fig. 1. i t

Figure 5 is an end elevational view looking into the opening of the.connecting nipple.

liigure 6 is a part sectional and part plan view of the adjusting memberwithan implement indicated as cooperating with the edge of thehandle-disc for turning the same.

Figure 7 is a sectional view corresponding to Fig; 3 showing amodification of the adjusting means and adjacent parts.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modification oftheadjusting disc structure shown in Fig. 3. i

Our improved radiator valve comprises ahousing that is composed of abase part 10 and a cover part 11 extending upwardly therefrom, said baseparthaving a laterally directed nipple 12 for connection with theradiator and said cover part 11 having a perforation 13 in the top wall1a that serves as the Vent opening;

A 'lrainage tube 15 may extend through 1923. Serial No. 639,230.

the nip 1e for draining the condensation as is common. In the presentinstance, however, the opening in the nipple is effectively divided by atransverse, horizontal bridge 16 into an upper part 17 and a lower part18 and the drainage tube 15 is housed within the lower part- 18. I

The bridge 16 is actually located inwardly back of the entrance portionof the mouth of the nipple and is a diminutive structure, suited simplyfor retaining the drainage tube 15 in place. i '1 The upper part 17 ofthe nipple opening serves also to provide means of access to theinterior by means of a suitable implement of simple'form for effectingchanges in adjustment of the adjusting member 19 which is ascrew-threaded structure, the changes being made by simply rotating thepart to the extent desired.

Said adjusting member 19 is made of sheet met-a1 and comprises asleeve-like body part 20 that has an interior screw-thread forcooperating with an upwardly directed screwthreaded post 21 that issupported by the base part 10.

A plate or disc 22 extends outwardly radially from the body part 20 soas to be adapted to serve as a handle for manipulating the device. Saidhandle-disc 22 located in registration with the upper part 17 of thenipple opening so as to be accessible for the purpose mentioned,permitting an vhnplement to engage the periphery 23 thereof. Also, saidperiphery 23 may be of toothed form or roughened to facilitate theadjusting operation.

y The body. part 20 terminates at the upper e11d24 in the form of agenerally V-sl1aped tip that serves as a support for the float- 25 andto this end cooperates witha suitable concave structure or cup 26 in thebottom wall 27 thereof.

The float 25 is a hollow structure having a cylindrical side wall 28that inter-connects the bottom wall 27 and the top wall 29. p

The bottom wall 27 and top wall 29 are dished or concave and maybeprovided adjacent the lateral edge each with a circular corrugation 30to provide flexibility.

The upper wall 29 supports an upwardly directed stem 31 that terminatesat the upper end in the form of a tapered valve 32 that serves as aneedle-valve in cooperation with a valve seat 33 at the lower end of thepassage that serves as the vent opening The float 25 is hermeticallysealed and contains a charge of simply air or a mixture of gases or avapor. The walls thereof are made of sheet metal having a thickness 01only about five one-thousandths of an inch. The parts are generallyadjusted to provide for a range of movement of about fortyonethousandths of an inch, such movement being effected either byexpansion of the float structure due to internal pressure or byflotation in condensation, as the case may be.

Under operating conditions there is always more or less tendency tocollapse the walls of the float 25 and under certain extreme conditionssuch tendency maybe severe so as to be liable to be destructive.herefore, we find it expedient to provide a reinforcement for said wallsand this in the present instance is in the form of a simple spring 34 ofgenerally U-shape and housed within the structure of the float, beingmade of a. strip offlat material.

.he ends of the spring 34: engage respectively with the top wall 29 andthe bottom wall 27. For positioning said spring 34 said ends areprovided with siutable openings or slots in which are housed cooperatingmeans in the form of a projection of one form or another.

Thus in the case of the top wall 29 the spring positioning meanscomprise a projection 35 in the form of a downward extension of theneedle-valve stem 31 which passes through the upper end 36' of thespring 3 1 and is headed over at the lower end. In the case of the lowerwall 27 that cooperates with the lower end 37 01'' the spring 34 theopening in the.spring end 37 cooperates with the upper convex side ofthe wall of the cup 26 that cooperates with the V-shaped tip 24 of theadjusting member 19.

The spring 34; is made of material that is about one-quarter of an inchwide and ten one-thousandths of an inch in thickness.

In the structure shown in 7 the float 25 has a bottom wall 27 that isprovided with a downwardly directed pin or stem 38 that serves as thesupport therefor. Said pin 38. has a flange 48 that is seated upon theopposed upper end of a screw 39 that has screw-threaded engagement withthe walls of an axially positioned chamber 40 that is provided in thebase member 10.

In the case of the form shown in Figs.

'1 to 6 inclusive and having the adjusting member 19 there may beprovided for convenience in. assembling a plurality of seats 41 fortemporarily supporting the'float 25, there being, as shown, three suchseats 11 distributed around the axially positioned tip 2 1. Also, asshown, said adjusting member 19 may be made of two parts that are unitedin any proper manner, said parts consisting of an axial member 419 thathas at its lower end the sleevelike body part or nipple part 20 and isprojected through an opening in the other, radial member 42.

The radial member 4-2 shown in Fig. 8 is formed oi a single piece ofsheet metal that is cut and shaped suitably to provide the tip 2 thehandle-disc 22, and the seats 11;

The seats 4-1 are in the form of fingers that are formed by slitting thematerial of the disc-handle 22 inwardly from the periphery and bendingthe free ends thereof upwa rdly.

The handle-disc 22 may be dished or concave. on the under side forpositioning the periphery 23 relatively to the upper part 17 of theopening in the side nipple 12. Said upper part or upper opening 17serves as a window for admitting the adjusting implement, as has beendescribed.

The single corrugation 30 in each case operates virtually as a hingeconnection for the body portion oi the bottom wall 27 and the top wall29 that is enclosed by said corirrigation. in changing from thedepressed or inward position to the outer convex form and the reversethere is involved .a snap movement, involving a preliminary buckling 'fthe material, the spring operating to prevent such fluctuation andvibration as would otherwise follow responsive to relatively slightdifferences in temperature.

Considering the details of the top wall or root 14rof the cover part 11,a depressed portion 43 is provided of annular form bordering the valveseat that is connected with the side wall by means of an annular borderportion a l that has an arched or curved form of cross-section.

At the junction 45 of said depressed portion at; and border portion 44is a relatively sharply defined corner that serves as a dripping edgefor shedding *ater of condensation.

Also, at the inner border of the depressed portion 43 is a corner 16that acts in a similar manner, the lastnamed corner L6 being provided atthe junction with the upwardly directed conical structure 17 thatterminates.

in the seat 33.

Means are. thus provided for diverting water of condensation from theseat 33 and the vent opening 13, resulting in reducing the liability ofplugging the outlet.

\Ve claim as our invention 1. In a radiator valve, an upwardly di rectedbody wall having a laterally directed nipple, a drainage tube located inthe lower portion of the opening in said nipple anda bridge extendingover the upper side of said tube, and said nipple openlng comprismg anupper portion that meets the interior lit space that is enclosed by saidbody Wall and serves to provide access to said interior space in aradial line above said bridge.

2. In combination in a radiator valve, a casing having a bottom wall andhaving a top wall that is provided with a vent opening, a floatstructure having a bottom for engaging with said bottom wall and a topthat is provided with a valve for cooperating with said vent opening,and a spring cooperating with said bottom and top.

3, In a radiator valve, an upwardly directed body wall having alaterally directed nipple, mechanism housed within said body wall havingmeans for adjustment, and said means being located so asto,becaccessible through said nipple.

4t. In a radiator valve,a cylindricalc-asing having a top wall that isprovided with a vent opening, an upwardly directed strueture of conicalform bordering said opening, an annular plain flat wall extendingoutwardly from the lower end of said structure, and a connecting wallintermediate said flat wall and the outer wall of said casing that onthe inside is of upwardly directed concave form of cross-section,whereby at the junction of said flat wall and connecting wall there willbe provided a circular dripping edge that is relatively remote from thevent opening.

In 'a radiator valve, a casing having a vent opening in the upper walland having in the interior a support that projects upwardly fromthe-lower wall, a float having a bottom and a top, said bottom making Ioperative supporting contact with said support by its middle portion, avalve for cooperating with said opening projecting upwardly from themiddle portion of said top,

said bottom and top being generally simiin each case a singlecorrugation, whereby under conditions of use there will be reduced andsubstantially overcome the tendency for vibratory or fluctuatingmovement. v

6. A radiator valve comprising a casing having a laterally directednipple, moving mechanism housed within. said casing and adapted to bemanipulated to eliect changes in adjustment, and said mechanism beingpositioned within said casing and relatively to said nipple so thatchanges in adjustment can be effected by means of an implement insertedthrough said nipple.

7. In a radiator valve, a casing enclosing moving parts, a top wall forsaid casing having a vent opening, and the portion of said top wallbordering said opening being of trouglrlike form so asto provide a receptable for overflow of condensation.

- JOSEPH C. HAMMER.

PAUL F. VOKAL.

